wallace



Feb. 7, 1956 R. E. WALLACE, SR

APPARATUS FOR OPENING CLOGGED DRAINS Filed Aug. 27, 1952 INVENTOR.

M Jaw ATTORNEYS.

ROBERT E.WALLACE, SR.

'viqe. an. appara us whieh utilizes, the h draulic ent th eseepe. 9f such wet t t mate" eh. .ihere's dfer ea e lite eh r 2,133,450. APBARATUS'FOR OPENING crooonn BRAINS RQheztE- wa'u es i sm hfiete ie. Application August 27, 1952-, Serial No, 306, 33 im l-t 4+:256);

This invention relates, as indicated, to an apparatus 7 for opening clogged drains, and, more particularly; to an ne i- In su h. e se, it s sq hetime eee eery to rem ve the o l. p r Plumbin 9 t a and. ret ie e th lo ging, bs uc i n- Qtte Q t e. pt hei e o je ts o his in eht ett e- Prere the. wat main e M shin up 9! tehtevi e trtl t en 11 a dra n he wa er t ei hih heueehelst supply line. V

A further object of the invention is to provide an appetatue e t is. eh reeter w th an h theuhe te te ree ns the PI$$QE he wetter h. it A s l thit er ehiee is t nrev de a aratus wh h e eretet by the pte e Qt t e water int P d an ine eae d p es nt eh s u il zed e we the amn:

Te hese and re tes en s th teie mi en eneet i the ih eh ieh iHQ P-QQ e eeht uit et ihttte he h we e under the preeeut of the Wetter meih i te he This a I. wi h eseelt eneteve s theeeeep ef the wette under pr ssu e i s in: restue hte'the re n- The pre er d emhetl meht 9f the eqm r eee e fl isihle ftthbe yl der Whieh i 'meunted een ehttie i y t t e e th t s use? 19- etredhe wate mm the Q The e d. 9? the WM with th seal theree e httesl etl int t e me ath he eleg ed drai and water s i se u ed tm te th pres ure into the eytliins er ft'e e P d I hid seal ng enga em n ith he i "ee etttfeeee ,et he a tain Wet e ma hen he vhin e d thtetigh he senn t into the st ait; and se l will he efiee hte e late that th fe nes s eft e main will b etf e e eth th elesst he In the event 1h eyehPr-e hte ie b eak 1 9 Q: nie ethe bst tte ieh erWerd y L t dee eh h d.

for the r ese of mev h terwtd he else he s ts tion;

Ot e ebiee and etlve te es w l beeethe eBP re fretn the ielle ih t e!- t w t t In he; ewihse; ewe P f red emhe l ttteht of the en eh- In hi siewihat" Fig.1 is a sectional view i ust'rating an apparatus 01 strue'ted in accordance with the principles jot invention-in an operative position with respect to the entry opening of a drain;

* 2,733,450 I Patented F k- News an,

her Fig.

ef to 1, e he ete 1 des at s the em! end Q e dr i i ilTi h f9ht i iih the'e s e tLt 'te eh e e eete; Te esti the qbtt e fiti e it mende hat h ted death h' T e f htrethee i h esh e. 9921B) e; Wh 'eh i hte ed. nte. ey ens? Qt thefi' e t e W eh s rat vi ed t a el he eeh ht t t iiiql eee taeef. we fet tt th he' lre h-f. I

he t el A eeht t e neee Peta east Pl t s 5 and se ur d in p e eh eh t eehdx is he nd ne 5 and 'e h ve ee ns ey ih er Whi e ,5. th e eehdhit' 3.; Thee i i. P at 5.. s r st w through which waterm'ay be introduced 'to the interior et he ey ihdet 7 t ets hd u h x m x te see ihsi eas ment wi h. the i r1 tth i'l fie eh d he h -e e he h de bxe e w th e th le i s 2 which e eh e of "e ret e'! u fa es t n se their ee i e frictional 5? tte jene tt 1 eeh seet en elf P qqnnected th 'h t t thtl eweteneupnly e ee 1! e h ltel ee a Me -vex ve ve e ha ing eh eet 19 e et nesi ehe et eeii el h the we i twtththe nsiuit i- In he on T 9 h 1, t? h raelie rem 01s .p i e The ram 2Q comprises a cylinder 21 which is threaded into ens en e 'the h I. t J t tension of the conduit 3. A piston 272 is mounted'in the 1 59??? -1 34 12 ha an nla ged. h ad 3 hi h e an operating piston and reciprqeates in a cylinder 24.' The cylin er 2 4 is closed by a cap 25having a stufiing box 2 g hrough which a guide rod 2% slides. "The opposite end of the guide rod is connected at 28 to the operating piston as for moyement therewith. Cushioning spriiigs 2;? and 3!) are moun ed in opposite ends of thecylifi'der 2}} for cushioning the extreme movements of the operz ting piston .23, The cylinder 24 has ports'to the atmosph'e e at 31 so that .air pockets' or vacuum will not be termed in the space 32. The cap 25 is provided with a fitting 33 through which water maybe admittedfro'ifi the fitting 10, a two=way valve 34 being provided fdfdn trolling the connection of the fitting 10 "Witli'th'e cylinder 2.0 {he valve 34 is .provided with a port 35 to the at moellhere through iwhich'water may be exhausted from the cylinder 24 when it is disconnected from the Water hnPlY fitt n 10- 1 1 operation, theya-lves 14 16, and 34 are moved to their off poston b he seal 4 is inserted in the entry peni g ei e ;.1 end in the .QE polsitioniet ,t a nd tit 3, pyliude th an interior .of

fier the sealthis beenplaced in an operative "36 with th etmoeto flow into the conduit 3, the valve 14 is moved to its off position to connect the interior of the rubber cylinder 7 with the atmosphere through the conduit 13 and port 15. This will release the seal provided by the sleeve 7 to allow air to escape from the interior of the drain 1. Whenwater begins to seep past the seal 4, the operator will know the drain 1 is filled with water, and will then rotate the valve 14' to the position illustrated in j Fig. 1 to expand the sleeve '7 into sealing engagement with the interior surface of the drain 1. The full pressure of the water 'main will thus be effective on the interior of the drain 1, and this pressure will ordinarily be effective in most cases to move the clogging obstruction forward in the drain or tolbreak it up so that it may be washed away. l

In'the event that the full pressure of the water in the main is ineffective to remove the clogging obstruction, the hydraulic ram may be operated to increase the pressure within the conduit 3 and drain 1. 'Operation of the ram 20' is effected by first turning the valve 34 to its off position so as to connect the interior of the cylinder 24with the atmosphere through the opening 35. With the valve 34 in its off position, pressure of the water in the fitting 2 against the end of the piston 22 is effective to move the piston 22 and piston 23 to the left as viewed in'Fig. 1. When the piston 23 moves against the spring 29, the valve 34 is rotated to its connect position as shown in Fig. l to admit water through the fitting 33 to the interior of the cylinder 20. The pressure of the water main against the head of the piston 23 will increase the pressure of the water in the conduit 3 and drain 1, and will move the piston 23 to the right and force the body of'water filling the cylinder 21 through the fitting 2 into the conduit 3. The check valve 18 prevents the escape'of water during this operation of the piston 22. The pistons 22 and 23 have an area ratio of approximately 1 to 4 so that the ram 20 is effective to multiply the pressure within the conduit 3. The increased pressure within the conduit 3 will in most cases be effective to start the forward motion of clogging obstructions which are not effected by the normal pressure of the water main. The ram 20 may be operated back and forth as many times as desired by proper manipulation of the valve 34, the water within the cylinder 24 being exhausted-through the port in the off position ofthevalve 34. By observing therod "27 and the amount thereof protruding from the stuffing box 26, the operator will know the relative position of the piston 23 in the cylinder 24 and-willthus know when to operate the valve 34. r 1 e r Fig. 2 shows a modified form of seal and delivery conduitfor admitting water under pressure to a clogged drain. In this showing, the delivery conduit 3 is'replaced by a heavy rubber hose 40, and the seal 4 is replaced by an expansible bellows-like seal 41. The seal 41 is comprised of a circular rubber bellows 42 attached to the hose by end plates43 and 44. The interior of the bellows 42 is connected by a conduit 45 toa fitting 46 which replaces the fitting 8 of Fig. l and is for connection to the water supply conduit 13. The entry end of the housing 40 is provided with a fitting 47 for attachment to the fitting 2 of Fig. l. a Except for the fittings 46 and 47, the parts of the structure shown in Fig. 2 are constructed entirely of rubber. Inoperatiomwhen water under pressure is admitted through the conduit 45, the bellows'42 will expand into sealing engagement with a drain in the same; manner as the rubbercylinder 7 of 'Fig. l. The seal of Fig 2 is particularly adapted foruse inv clearing clogged commodes or other drain openings having asimilar irregular shape.

The modifications illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 are seals in the form of attachments for connection to the fitting 2 of Fig. 1. These modified forms of seals omit the expansible and fluid operated pressure seals shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Referring particularly to Fig. 3, the numeral 50 designates a threaded fitting which is connectable in the outlet opening of the fitting 2 of Fig. 1 in place of the conduit 3. At its discharge end, the fitting 50 is provided with a rubber cup 51 having side walls which are shaped somewhat in the form of a barrel and which have concave inner and outer surfaces in cross section as illustrated in Fig. 3. The end 52 of the rubber cup 51 may be pressed into engagement with the surface surrounding a drain opening, such as a conventional lavatory drain opening, to form a seal thereabout. Water under pressure from the fitting 2 of the Fig. 1 may then be forced into the lavatory drain opening and the seal provided by manual pressure against the cup 51 will prevent the water from escaping from the drain. a

In Fig. 4, there is shown a pressure seal which is fabricated from rubber and has a shape similar to the suction cups commonly used for opening clogged drains. The seal 60 is 'semispherical in shape andhas an outer edge 61 which may be pressed into sealing engagement with a surface about a drain opening. It has a central opening'62 in which is mounted a fitting 63 whichmay be threaded into the outlet opening of the fitting 2 of Fig. l.

The seal 60 is particularly adapted for use in connection I with drain openings in which the surface surrounding the drain is a curved surface or one of irregular contour.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that this is merely by way of illustration, and that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the contemplation of theinvention and under the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a hydraulic pressure booster device, in combination, an open ended cylinder having connecting portions of different diameters, a differential piston within the cylinder for reciprocal movement therein having a short continuous head portion disposed within the larger cylinder portion and a longer stem portion for movement within the smaller cylinderportion, an open ended continuation of said smaller cylinder portion extending a substantial distance outward beyond the limit of the path of movement of the piston stem portion, a sealing member mounted on the exterior of said cylinder continuationadjacent the outer end thereof for engagement within an opening in a receptacle which receives hydraulic pressure from the smaller cylinder portion through the continuation thereof, awater inlet on the periphery of said smaller cylinder continuation beyond the path of movement of the piston stem admitting water to the smaller cylinder portion and the continuation thereof, a conduit connecting the water inlet to a Water supply line, a check valve in said conduit preventing water flow from the cylinder and its continuation to the water supply line, a closure for the open end of the larger cylinder portion, a water inlet in said closure member, a conduit connecting the latter water inlet to the water' supply line, a manually operable valve in said latter conduitfor selectively admitting water to the larger cylinder portion anddraining water therefrom provid ing reciprocation of the piston under water pressure from the water supply line. V

2; The hydraulic pressurebooster as in claim 1 in which the sealing member is a hollow inflatable member having rigid end portionsrigidly connected to the continuation of the smaller cylinder portion, an inleton one of said inflatable memberrigid end portions, a conduit connectingsaid inlet with a watersupply line, and a valve in said conduit selectively admitting water to the.

interior of the inflatable sealing member and draining such water therefrom.

3. The hydraulic pressure booster as in claim 2 wherein the inflatable sealing member comprises a pair of spaced rigid members secured to the cylinder continuation and of an outer dimension smaller than the receptacle opening, an expansible corrugated hollow member disposed between said spaced rigid members and having end portions connected to the spaced rigid members, each end portion of said corrugated member including in-turned substantially U-shaped portions permitting uniform radial movement of the corrugated portion of the sealing member from deflated to inflated position for effecting a uniform seal between the corrugated portion of the sealing member and the walls of the receptacle opening.

4. In a hydraulic pressure booster for opening clogged drains, the combination of an open ended cylinder having connecting chambers of difierent diameters, a differential piston within said cylinder for reciprocal movement therein having portions provided with a sliding fit within each chamber, the cylinder of smallest diameter having an open ended extension thereon to be received within the clogged drain, an inflatable sealing member mounted on the exterior of said extension adjacent the outer end thereof to be freely received within the drain when deflated, rigid end portions on the sealing member having fixed connections with said extension, a flexible extensible portion disposed between said sealing member end portions and connected thereto so as to provide substantially uniform radial expansion of the flexible extensible portion relative to the cylinder extension, a Water inlet opening in one of said sealing member rigid end portions, a closure member for the larger end of said cylinder, a water inlet in said closure admitting water to the larger cylinder chamber, a com duit connecting the inlet opening in the cylinder closure member to a fitting receiving a water supply line, a manually operable valve in said conduit selectively movable to admit water from the supply line to the cylinder and to cut ofi? the water supply and water from the cylinder, a water inlet in the periphery of the cylinder extension between the extreme advanced position of the smaller end of the dilferential piston and the sealing member, a conduit connecting said cylinder extension inlet with the water supply line, a check valve in said conduit preventing flow of Water from the cylinder extension to the water supply line, manually operable valve means in said second named conduit for selectively cutting off water from the supply line to said cylinder extension inlet, a conduit connecting the water supply line with the inlet in the rigid end portion of the sealing member independently of flow of water through either cylinder inlet, and manually operable valve means in said last named conduit for selectively controlling Water flow in the conduit to inflate, deflate and hold the sealing member in inflated position.

UNITED STATES PATENTS References Cited in the tile of this patent 704,402 Taylor et a1. July 6, 1902 978,852 Cunningham Dec. 20, 1910 1,221,733 Henderson Apr. 3, 1917 1,994,526 McCloskey Mar. 19, 1935 2,016,498 Hopewell Oct. 8, 1935 2,279,364 Cadbury Apr. 14, 1942 I 2,539,292 Anderson Jan. 23, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 15,388 Great Britain July 27,1899 

